Gas holder



Aug. 9, 1932.

J. R. 1.. sAm os GAS HOLDER Filed Aug. 29, 1928 mm new) Patented Aug. 9, 1932 uuirun sraras raraar ouster:

JOHN R. L. SANTOS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BARTLETT HAY- WARD COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION 01? MARYLAND GAS HOLDER Application filed. August 29, 1928.

This invention relates to waterless gas holders and the main feature of novelty resides in the seal between the movable piston and the shell of the holder.

5 It is important that a perfectseal be maintained at all times and that this seal be such as not to impose a heavy frictional load upon the motion of the piston.

The present invention produces a structure in which a semi-rigid scraper is used to protect the absorbent packing element, the two being supported by a common means which forces the sealing element into contact with the shell of the holder. The device also embodies a' dip seal and means for feeding liquid lubricant, which forms the bath portion of the dip seal, to the packing element by pressure of the confined gas.

Certain features of the present disclosure relating to the use of a dip seal and the supply of lubricant from said seal by gas pres sure to the packing element, are not claimed herein but are claimed in my copending application Serial No. 302,783 filed August 29, i 1928.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional plan view.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, drawn on an enlarged scale.

In the drawing, a gas holder of circular cross section is illustrated, but the invention is applicable, with minor modifications, to

holders of polygonal section.

The vertical wall or shell of the gas holder is indicated at 6. The piston structure is made up of a flat plate-head 7 having a pendant skirt 8 whose diameter is materially less than the diameter of the shell 6. Surrounding the lower portion of the shell 8 is a trough made up of a bottom member 9 and a side J member 11, which last is slightly smaller in diameter than the shell 6. The piston as a whole is guided by a plurality of rollers 13 which contact the interior surface of the shell 6 and are carried on the piston by brackets 14, only one roller and bracket being shown. The trough just mentioned contains bath of lubricating liquid, such as oil, tar, etc.

Serial No. 302,784.

and this forms a dip seal with an annular flexible member 16, preferably made of thin sheet metal. This annulus carries at or about its mid-height an annular scraper 17 which contacts the shell 6 throughout its circumference. This scraper is preferably made of angle iron and is held in place by rivets 17" which pass through one flange of the angle iron through the annulus 16 and through one flange of each vertical angle iron brackets 18. There are a plurality of brackets at preferbly uniform intervals around the holder. They project slightly above the upper margin of the annulus 16 and there are riveted at 19 to a second scraper 19. This, like the scraper 17, is formed of angle iron and it is supported by rivets which pass through one flange of the scraper and through the upper ends of the brackets 18.

It will be observed that the upper scraper 19 is supported just above the upper margin of the annulus 16 but this annulus is entirely free from any direct connection with the scraper and free from the brackets 18 above the rivets 17? which connect the scraper 17 thereto. Thus the annulus 16 is free to be flexed outward at its upper margin relatively to the scraper 19 and the supporting brackets 18.

Mounted between the scrapers 17 and 19 is a packing structure made up of absorbent material, for example, felt. It is annular in form and extends completely around the outside of the annulus 16 and contacts with the interior surface of the shell 6. It is preferably made up of a channel-shaped confining layer 21, of felt or the like, and a plurality of annuli 22, also of felt, and embraced in the channel 21. This structure may be held in place in any suitable manner, a convenient way being to fasten the channel-shaped memher by bolts or rivets to the annular plate 16 and then bind the whole structure together by a series of vertical bolts 23.

The scraper and packing structure are supported as a unit on the piston. The supporting mechanism takes the form of brackets to which are pivoted levers 26. Fixed to the walls 16 adjacent to but spaced from each of the upright brackets 18 is a bracket 28. A

pin 29 passes loosely through this bracket, through the lower end of the lever 26 and loosely through the adjacent bracket 18. The looseness of the pin 29 is such that the weight 27 acting through the lever 26 tends to cant the pin and force the annulus 16 outward relatively to the bracket 18.

It will be observed that the lubricant in bath 15 is subject outside the. annulus 16 to the pressure of gas in the holder beneath the piston so that inside the annulus lo the lubricant rises to a high level. Thus although the packing structure is completely above theupper margin of plate 11, it is possible to feed lubricant upward from the trough to the packing structure 21, 22,'by way of a port- 31 which is formed in the annulus l6 and in the member 21.

While Iprefer the embodiment shown this is intended to be illustrative rather than. limiting, and possible modifications are/contemplated. For example, the packing structure illustrated may take various forms, the essential thing being th at some sealing means he interposed. The particular weight and lever mechanism shown (and which is, of course, a yielding means) is subject to considerable variation, the prime requisite being that the scraper structure be urged yieldingly outward and that the packing structure be urged yieldingly outward. It is convenient to combine this loading mechanism in a single structure and to inter-pose between the loading means, on the one hand, and the scraper and the sealing means, on the other hand, some thrust balancing mechanism, so that a single weight acts to load both elements without limiting the indcpend cut motions of each.

What is claimed is,-

1. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston movable therein to vary the efl'ectivc volume of the shell; a flexible annulus surrounding the piston a liquid seal cooperating with the lower portion of said annulus and effecting a gas-tight joint between the annulus and the piston while maintaining the general flexibility-of the annulus; an annularscraper structure yieldingly-mounted on the piston; a packing annulus supported on said flexible annulus in position to be protected by said scraper structure and contacting said shell; and yielding means for expanding said flexible annulus to press said packing, into sealing engagement with the shell.

2. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston movable therein to vary the effective volume of the shell; a flexible metallic annulus encircling the piston in spaced relation thereto; a liquid seal cooperating with the lowerportion of said annulus and effecting a gas-tight joint between the annulus and the piston without materially restraining the flexibility of the annulus; a pair of annular scrapers supported by said piston; a packing annulus supported on said flexible annulus intermediate said scrapers and contacting said shell; and yielding means for expanding said flexible annulus to press said packing into sealing engagement with said shell.

3. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein to vary the effective volume of the holder; a liquid-retaining trough encircling the piston; an annular flexible member of sheet material encircling the piston and forming a dip seal with the liquid in the trough; sealing means carried by the upper portion of the annular flexible member; an approximately rigid scraper structure connected to the flexible member below the sealing means; means for supporting said flexible member and guiding it toward and from said shell; and means for urging the upper portion of said flexible member, and the sealing means carried thereby, toward said shell.

4. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; :1. piston vertically movable therein to vary the effective volume of the holder; 9. liquid-retaining trough encircling the piston; an annular flexible member of sheet material encircling the piston and forming a dip seal with the liquid in the trough; sealing means carried by the upper portion of the annular flexible member; an approximately rigid scraper structure connected to the flexible member below the sealing means and having scraping elements above and below said sealing means; means for supporting said flexible member and guiding it toward and from said shell; and means for urging theupper portion of said flexible member, and the sealing means carried thereby, toward said shell.

5. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston vertically movable therein to vary the efl'ective volume of the holder; a liquid-retaining trough encircling the piston; a thin annular'member of sheet metal encircling the piston and forming a dip seal with the liquid in said trough; sealing means carried by the upper portion of said annular flexible member and contacting the shell; an approximately rigid scraper structure connected to the flexible member below said sealing means; and a loaded lever system serving to support said flexible memher and connected parts on the piston and to establish a force reaction between the scraper structure and the flexible element tending to urge the sealing means into contact with the shell.

6. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston movable therein; a scraping means and a sealing means mounted on the piston for independent movement; and yielding thrust means common to said scraping means and said sealing means oper- 

